Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Black Arrow 2
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“Huh?”
“…….”
Doneir and the bandits were flustered at the sight of the man who had emerged from the bushes.
A holy knight clad in golden armor was approaching.
It was none other than Arbiter Jekt, who had subdued them earlier.
“Ah, n-no, Sir Jekt. This is….”
“I see you’ve found a copy of the New King Scripture. Well done. Hand it over to me. Or do you intend to test it against that naga woman’s seduction?”
Sir Jekt asked with a smile.
“Shall we see if the Arbiter’s reputation is mere illusion or not?”
“…….”
The bandits were taken aback.
‘Aren’t we immortals right now?’
‘But it was that very man who made us immortals….’
‘Oh.’
The bandits swallowed hard as they stared at Sir Jekt.
“Hand it over. The New King Scripture copy.”
“W-We will.”
Unable to withstand Sir Jekt’s pressure, Doneir handed over the New King Scripture copy. Jekt accepted it with a wry smile.
“I’m a bit disappointed in you all. I thought you’d handle it without dirtying the hands of a holy knight like me.”
“Yes?”
“N-No, that’s….”
“Leave no witnesses. With that, I’ll take my leave first. I’ll see you at the Lantarique Holy Knight Order headquarters.”
But at that very moment!
-Whoosh!
An arrow flew toward Jekt.
“No!”
It was the Yi Seon Bow that had targeted Doneir—no, something even greater. Four arrows targeted Jekt from all directions at once.
Fire Bird Wind Moon Royal Crane, White Heron.
Two arrows enchanted with magic, plus the Yi Seon Bow—the arrows flew in.
“Hmm?”
But Jekt casually brushed his hand. In that instant, a faint silver beam shot from his fingertips, and the incoming arrows exploded in midair.
“Impressive archery. Are you of the Herald Clan?”
“That’s right!”
A girl emerged from the bushes. Midi’am notched another arrow on her bowstring as she stepped out. Astonishingly, she puffed out her chest proudly and glared at Sir Jekt.
“You call yourself a holy knight, yet you conspire with bandits to let innocent folk die? Shameless cur!”
“Hahaha, how bold. Are you, a Herald, lecturing me, a holy knight of the King’s Church?”
“Of course! I am Midi’am Etar! Voice of the Emperor! Vulgar tongues call us soulless, but it’s you lot who truly lack souls!”
Midi’am declared this and aimed her bow at Jekt.
“To claim holy knight while joining depraved, ruthless bandits—such insolence! In the Emperor’s stead, I bring heavenly punishment!”
“Hahaha! Adorable.”
Jekt showed no tension despite the bow trained on him. Instead, he watched Midi’am’s theatrics with amusement. He was intrigued by her exaggerated tone and gestures.
‘Good, he’s hooked!’
Midi’am loosed her arrow. At the same instant, Ismail, who had been moving along the treetops, drew his sword and dove from above toward Sir Jekt.
“Adorable.”
As Sir Jekt spread his hand, silver flashes shot toward Midi’am and Ismail respectively.
-Clang!
Something collided with Ismail’s blade, shattering it into seven pieces, while Midi’am’s arrow exploded in midair. And then…
-Thud!
Something pierced Midi’am’s body.
“Ugh?!”
Only then did Midi’am realize what had impaled her. It was a needle threaded with a thin filament.
‘N-No way! A needle… pierced my body?’
It was so fine that even though it had gone clean through her abdomen, she felt only slight pain. But the thread ran through her body.
“Don’t move rashly. If I just tug on this thread a little….”
“Aaagh!”
Midi’am screamed as a burning pain suddenly surged through her entire body from her abdomen.
“Midi’am!”
The panicked Ismail lunged at Sir Jekt, but he flung another thread and needle.
-Fire Bird Wind Moon, Twilight!
No sooner had Ismail dodged the thread aimed at his head than a heavy thud echoed, and a massive tree was pierced. The needle had gone straight through it. And moreover…
“Hup!”
Jekt lightly shook the thread.
-Whirr.
The thread vibrated, and the tree shattered explosively, snapping in half.
“Ah!”
Midi’am watched in horror. Now pierced by Jekt’s thread and needle, if he did the same to her, she’d be pulverized without even a corpse left behind.
The pain he inflicted on her was merely him holding back to keep her alive. If Jekt wished, he could shatter her to pieces anytime.
“Gasp.”
The watching bandits were awestruck.
“This is the ArArbiter.”
“My god.”
The bandits had been brimming with confidence from their bodies that shrugged off arrows. But seeing the power Jekt wielded, it was clear even such bodies wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Damn it!”
Ismail fired arrows seeking an opening, but when Jekt shook his thread, a shockwave erupted in the air, crumbling the arrows mid-flight. Even a mere graze from the thread reduced steel-tipped arrows to dust.
-Thud!
In the end, a needle struck Ismail too.
“Aaagh!”
Pierced through the arm, Ismail screamed. The needle flew up to a tall tree, wrapping around a branch, hoisting Ismail’s arm skyward and lifting his feet off the ground.
Unlike Midi’am, who stood with both feet planted, the airborne Ismail felt his wound tearing under his weight. In panic, he clutched the thread and wound with his hand to prevent his forearm from ripping apart. But the pierced flesh tore anyway, blood trickling down the thread.
“Th-This….”
Both Ismail and Midi’am were subdued by Jekt in an instant.
*********
Jekt showed no intent to kill as he subdued Ismail and Midi’am.
Was it the leisure of absolute superiority?
No matter what tricks Ismail or Midi’am pulled, they posed no threat or hindrance to him. He regarded them with the indulgent gaze of a parent watching children at play.
‘This is weird. Insane. Why is this guy just standing by while bandits ravage innocent civilians?’
Midi’am bit her lower lip as Jekt approached.
“You’re young, boy and girl, yet your spirit is remarkable. It’d be a shame to leave talents like you as mere Heralds. How about becoming my disciples from now on?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass. The proud daughter of Etar won’t beg for her life to become some mutt’s disciple!”
“Is that so?”
Another thread and needle flew, piercing Midi’am’s thigh.
“Urk!”
“Spirited Heralds are fine, but no need to spare both. I’ll take one as a trophy. Now, who lives and who dies?”
At Jekt’s question, both Midi’am and Ismail glared with fiery resolve. Even on the brink of death, their fighting spirit unbroken, Jekt marveled once more.
“Looks like persuasion won’t work. In that case, if I just fiddle with your brains a bit….”
Then another arrow flew in.
“Pointless!”
Jekt flung a needle without looking back, but an anomaly occurred the moment it collided with the arrow.
-Ting!
The arrow deflected the needle and kept flying straight.
“Hmm?!”
The startled arrow exploded near Jekt’s palm, severing the tension in the threads binding Ismail and Midi’am. Ismail landed back on the ground.
“Oh?”
Jekt examined his hand. The needle in his grasp trembled violently. His hand was vibrating from deflecting the arrow. The shaking soon subsided, but the opponent was no pushover.
At that moment, Midi’am and Ismail were freed from the threads. Azadin had thrown a dagger, severing the threads that bound them.
“Azadin!”
“You’ve arrived.”
Even Ismail, who harbored resentment toward Azadin, couldn’t have been more relieved at that moment.
“Splendid, Midi’am, Ismail. I’m proud of you.”
Azadin praised Midi’am and Ismail. He must have heard how Midi’am had drawn Jekt’s attention with the Herald’s pride.
“Meanwhile, this so-called Arbiter Jekt torments mere children. Does the King’s Church lack any sense of dignity?”
“Amusing. Decided not to flee this time and face me head-on, Herald?”
Jekt mocked Azadin for dodging him until now.
‘Indeed, Azadin had been avoiding this Arbiter.’
Now both Midi’am and Ismail understood why Azadin had evaded the Arbiter. Azadin replied calmly to the Arbiter he’d fled from until now.
“The world’s chaotic enough without me killing someone of Arbiter rank and worsening it. I tolerated you because types like you are useful against Kurt deities or beasts.”
“Hahaha.”
“But tormenting civilians and children crosses the line.”
“Those boy and girl look old enough to be parents of one or two kids in regions with child marriages. Hardly worth decrying as child torment, is it?”
“Who cares? Other folks’ customs.”
“Ignoring foreign customs earns you no favors.”
“Then you’d already be in a coffin in places that bury early. No plans to die right now and honor their customs in person?”
“…Such places exist? Where?”
“Oh, they do. They exist.”
Azadin blustered and signaled Midi’am and Ismail.
“I’ll handle him. You two lead the people and flee.”
“What?!”
“You’ll face the Arbiter alone?”
“Yes.”
With that, Azadin leaped into the forest.
“What, grand entrance just to run?!”
As Jekt reacted with disbelief, an arrow flew toward his face. The startled Jekt jerked his head aside, but the arrow twisted in midair, pursuing him like a fish in rapids.
-Thwack!
The arrow glanced off Jekt’s armor, leaving a massive gash. Such was the mighty bow that the arrowhead nearly tore through the plate.
“Your armor saved you.”
Azadin taunted.
“My apologies.”
Jekt clicked his tongue, realizing Azadin’s strategy was trickier than expected.
*********
“Amazing.”
Midi’am was astonished by Azadin’s archery, which had instantly shot down the needle that had bested them. Ismail grumbled while staunching his wound.
“Isn’t it just a strong bow? Once I grow, I could do that…. No, with a Black Steel Arrow, I could even now….”
“Ismail, you’re always grumpy about Azadin.”
“It’s because you got weirdly influenced by that guy that you faced an Arbiter head-on instead of fleeing, leading to this mess.”
“But he praised us?”
“…….”
That was exactly the problem.
Midi’am had once dismissed others’ recognition or praise as trivial. As the noble lady of the Etar bloodline, many sought her favor, so she’d brushed off compliments as flattery or obvious.
Yet now, influenced by Azadin, she spoke like that, acted like that, and even felt joy at his praise. What irritated her most was…
‘When that guy praised me, I felt a little happy too….’
That was utterly infuriating.